Air and Fire
by Wandering Violinist
Summary: Beth teaches Alison how to use a firearm


"Okay, calm down, Alison. You're just going to learn how to shoot a gun… It's not like you're going to actually kill anyone! And besides, Beth knows what she's doing. If she can trust you with this then everything should be fine."

Alison Hendrix paced back and forth through her home, devoid of the presence of her husband, who was at work, and her children, whom she dropped off at her parents' house for the greater part of the day. Now all she could do was try to psych herself up as she waited for her phone to ring. As she entered the kitchen, Alison paused a moment. There was wine in the refrigerator, but she knew that this would be one time in which alcohol would hinder her more than help. Grudgingly she grabbed a banana from the bowl of fruit on the table and stared it down.

"These damn things are supposed to calm nerves… guess it's time to find out if that's really true."

Alison peeled the banana with cool efficiency and took a bite, grimacing afterward. It was… disgusting, but she ate the rest of the fruit anyway so as not to waste it. As soon as she finished, her phone chimed from the pocket of her vest and she jumped, frantically reaching for it.

"Jesus, Beth!" Alison bit her lip as she looked at the text message Beth sent her, wondering when that banana's effects would set in. Beth was nearby, just as they had planned, and now it was Alison's turn to buck up and go. Without further hesitation, Alison tossed the banana peel in the proper receptacle and rushed out of the house, making sure no one was watching her as she walked with a false air of confidence to the end of the street.

When she reached Beth's car, Alison crossed behind it and tapped on the passenger door window. Beth looked over at her and smiled slightly before motioning for her to get in. As Alison situated herself in the passenger's seat, Beth studied her, noticing the other woman's fingers tapping against the dashboard. Beth had to bite back a smile as she watched Alison. That girl really needed to loosen up.

"You ready? Not nervous at all or anything?"

Alison quickly crossed her arms, glancing at Beth for a split second before looking away. "Huh? I'm ready! Not nervous, no way. Let's go!" They headed out of Alison's neighborhood and the smaller woman took a deep breath as they drove further away from her comfort zone. The scenery slowly changed from civilized and proper to noisy and off putting. Alison ran her fingers through her ponytail as Beth navigated them carefully to their destination, the former thinking back to that banana from earlier and cursing it for failing to take care of her anxiety.

"You're gonna be fine," Beth said, breaking their shared silence. Alison looked over at her sheepishly and Beth looked back with a kindness in her eyes that Alison had never seen before. Before Alison could say anything in response, Beth looked back at the road, her visage all business once again. "We should be there soon."

* * *

After a while they arrived at an empty field on the outskirts of town where the nearby remnants of an old factory were covered in graffiti, only adding to the filthy appearance of the place. Alison shivered as she looked around from the safety of Beth's car. There was not enough sanitizer in the world to make this place feel any safer to her. She chewed on her lip and looked over at Beth, who appeared to be surveying the area as well.

"I don't know how I feel about this…" Alison mumbled, tugging at the sleeves of her shirt.

"Alison," Beth killed the engine and looked over at her passenger. "I know you'd rather live blissfully ignorant but you can't afford to. _We _can't afford to. Not now, not anymore."

"That's not what I mean, I…" But that was what she wanted. That was all she wanted, to live a normal, boring life. Alison slumped down in her seat, wishing she wasn't such a fool. She had children, for God's sake; she had to learn how to protect them, herself, and the other women who shared her destiny. She had to go through with this, because she couldn't bear the thought of being a burden to anyone.

"C'mon, we don't have all day." Beth stepped out of the car and Alison sighed, standing by the car as the taller woman gathered up the targets and ammunition she brought along. They made their way out to the middle of the abandoned area that would be their firing range, and Alison attempted to help Beth set up their target.

"Beth… how do you stay so composed? 'Cause I… when I get thinking about what's going on, I start to freak out. Just a little bit."

Beth looked up from her work, slightly surprised. "Well… I'm not always calm. Just take a few deep breaths. And maybe have a drink once in a while. Relax, even though it might feel impossible right now."

"Ha, right. Breathe, drink, relax. I think I can handle that."

They continued setting up the target, or rather, Alison's hands fumbled awkwardly around the target as Beth got it ready. She watched the stoic cop as she made quick work of it and wondered about her. They'd known each other, and their scientist doppelganger Cosima, for a little while now, but Alison knew next to nothing about Beth. All she knew was that the other woman was a detective, carried a gun on her each time they met, and didn't fuck around. But the longer she observed her, the more Alison wanted to know. What were her favorite things? Did she aspire to be something more than what she already was? Did she think in a million years that she would be in this situation, one that neither of them really understood?

"Would you… um, would you like to go out for a drink sometime? Together? Or with Cosima, if she's back in town sometime—"

Beth looked up at Alison, raising an eyebrow. "You don't think that would be weird at all?"

"What? No! I mean… we could just say we're twins if anyone asks… I just think that we should get to know each other better… since we're in this situation and all… and you said to drink…" Alison felt her face flush red and she looked down at the ground, kicking at a loose piece of grass with the toe of her boot. She knew she was making a complete fool of herself, but it was something she couldn't seem to control. So far only Beth had seen her at her most incomprehensible, and the more Alison thought about it, the more she realized that it was probably _because of_ Beth.

Beth stared at Alison, sizing up the smaller woman. After a second or two the cop simply offered Alison a small, crooked smile and walked away from her and the target, determining the proper distance they would need between it and them. When she was satisfied, she whistled at Alison and waved her over, and Alison jogged back to Beth's side, having quickly recovered from her earlier embarrassment.

"Here, you'll need these," Beth handed Alison a pair of earmuffs to protect her hearing and a pair of shooting glasses, which Alison put on immediately. "And this." The gun. Beth removed it from its holster on her side and placed it carefully in Alison's now open hands.

"It's so heavy," Alison observed. She thought she must have sounded stupid, but that was the first thing that came to mind. "It's loaded?"

"Yeah," Beth replied. She pointed at a spot near the middle of the weapon. "This here is the safety. It's on right now, see? You just have to push this lever down to turn it off."

Alison looked up at the cop and grinned, "Well that was easy. What've you got for me next?"

Beth took half a step back. "Hold the gun up and point it at the target."

Alison did as she was told, shaking slightly at first as she felt Beth's eyes on her. The detective circled around her, taking a minute more to study Alison's default stance. Alison felt butterflies in her stomach as she tried to stand as still as possible, desperately fighting to keep her gaze forward. When she heard a laugh come from the other woman, she turned her head in Beth's direction and frowned.

"What?"

Beth ran her hand through her hair and shrugged. "You just look so… _intense. _That's good. But at the same time, on you it looks…"

"Funny?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Beth said, laughing again.

"Well just because I'm a regular civilian doesn't mean I can't kick some ass every now and then! That's why we're doing this in the first place right? I'll probably have to… eventually…"

Beth's expression softened and she gave Alison a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Probably… but I know you'll be perfectly fine when that day comes."

Alison smiled at that. "Maybe I'll even get to save you."

Beth shrugged then looked down at Alison's stance, her expression becoming serious once again. "Your hips are wrong… this is the best way to position yourself…" She stood behind Alison, their bodies nearly pressed together. She rested her hands on Alison's hips a moment before gently guiding them to better square her off against the target. All the while Alison felt her heart racing in her chest, and she had a feeling Beth knew that she was doing more than just helping with her stance. After lingering on her hips a second longer, the detective's hands made their way up to Alison's shoulders, her fingers like fire burning through the fabric of her clothing.

"Um, Beth…?"

"You need a slightly tighter grip here," Beth said quietly, placing her hands over Alison's. "Or else the kickback might surprise you." Alison looked down at their hands, identical in their composition and position. What were they doing, standing so close? She didn't want to admit to herself that she was enjoying this, but she was, and the way Beth was pressed against her made her think that the cop relished their newfound lack of personal space as well.

"There. That's perfect…" Beth breathed, her voice sending a chill up Alison's spine. She dropped her hands and took a step away and to the left, reaching for her earmuffs. Alison glanced back in Beth's direction and thought she caught the cop's gaze lingering on her for a second too long. "Whenever you're ready," Beth added, motioning for her to shoot. Alison turned back around, covered her ears, and readjusted her stance.

They were quiet for a minute, both waiting for the muffled sound of gunfire. Alison's finger brushed against the trigger, but she pulled it away and removed one side of her earmuffs, motioning for Beth to do the same. She did, and Alison spoke up, weakly at first. "Do you… imagine anything right before you shoot? Like something to help you focus your aim?"

Beth stared at the target and then looked at Alison with a serious expression. "I imagine that I'm facing off against someone… or something that's trying to hurt the people I care about… and if I fail, it's game over. I have to shoot first. That's what I tell myself."

Alison mulled over what Beth said for a second, then placed the earmuffs back over her ears and stared back at the target. As she took aim, Alison thought of her children, her husband, Beth… and as she thought of them and the happiness they brought her, the target took the shape of her fears. _I can't let my goddamn fears get the better of me and take away everything that I love. I have to be strong like Beth, otherwise I'm useless._ Alison gritted her teeth, then relaxed, and pulled the trigger.

_Bang!_

Smoke rolled out of the barrel of the gun for a split second, and the bullet case had flown up out of the gun and onto the ground next to Alison. She took a breath and relaxed, slightly lowering the weapon. She moved the left side of her earmuffs askew so that she could hear, waiting for any criticism from Beth.

"So? How does it feel, firing a gun for the first time?"

Alison blinked, surprised by Beth's question. "It feels… liberating." She stared at the hole in the target for a few seconds, slightly off from where she aimed. "I'm going to try again."

"Wow, I didn't think you'd be so eager," Beth mused, taking a small step away from the other woman.

Alison scoffed and looked back. "Shut up! And why did you move away? I'm not that bad!"

"You're right, you're not bad," Beth laughed. "You're really good actually. Go ahead and try shooting a few more rounds." She moved back to Alison's side, and both women covered their ears.

* * *

After firing the rest of the magazine's rounds and learning how to reload the gun, Beth and Alison decided to call it a day, watching the sun begin its descent as the afternoon arrived.

"Almost time for you to pick up your kids, I'm guessing?"

Alison removed the shooting glasses from her face and glanced at her watch. "Yeah, it's getting to be that time." She looked up at Beth and smiled gratefully. Remembering the heavy object resting in her right hand, Alison gasped and carefully offered the weapon to Beth. The detective's fingers brushed against Alison's as she reached for the gun, squeezing the grip for a second to feel the faint warmth left by the other woman's hand.

"Oh, good, you remembered the safety," Beth mused as she placed the gun in its holster.

"Were you expecting me to forget?" Alison asked as they walked over to the target.

Beth shook her head as they began to disassemble it. "No. It's just that I've never really taught anyone anything before… maybe it's not that difficult to teach this kind of thing in the first place, but I'm still glad to see that you've retained some of what I showed you."

Alison felt her heart skip a beat as she listened to Beth. Something was slightly different about her now. Normally Beth operated with a no-nonsense attitude and a serious expression on her face, but the more time they spent together, the more Beth seemed to be opening up to Alison. Or perhaps it was just wishful thinking on Alison's part. It was interesting nonetheless to see a different, happier side of Beth, even if it was a projection of her own feelings onto the detective, but as Alison watched her take apart the target, she could have sworn she saw Beth's face turn red.

"Are you blushing?" Alison teased, feeling bolder than before.

"What? O-of course not," Beth replied quickly, refusing to look up at Alison. She picked up the target and began walking off towards the vehicle without the smaller woman. When she reached the car, Beth turned around and yelled to Alison, "I'm gonna leave your ass if you don't stop staring at mine!"

Alison cursed under her breath and ran across the field to Beth's car. The cop had finished putting away the target and was reaching for the driver's side door when Alison sauntered over to her.

"I was _not_ staring at your ass," she said vehemently, opening the rear passenger door to toss the earmuffs and glasses inside.

"Whatever you say," Beth laughed. "But I don't mind."

Alison was taken aback. "What's with you all of a sudden? Normally you're so aloof, and yet today you're so… lively, I guess."

"I don't know… you just got me thinking…" Beth fiddled with her car keys for a moment, glancing over in Alison's direction. She paused for a few seconds before gathering up whatever courage she needed to speak again, "Hey, are you… still interested in going out for a drink sometime?"

Alison looked up, wide-eyed. "What? Seriously? I mean, yes! Um, only if you want to, that is…"

"I'm serious. Let's keep it between you and me though, okay?" Beth winked at Alison as she opened the car door and stepped inside. Alison followed suit, running around to the other side and trying her hardest to keep herself from jumping up and down.

* * *

The drive back to Alison's home was just as quiet as the drive to their makeshift firing range, but both women had quite a lot on their minds. They were beginning to cross into territory neither of them expected to, but as they continued to steal glances at each other, both women found themselves pushing the thoughts of potential consequences of their actions to the back of their minds. Perhaps this wasn't something to be concerned about in the first place. After all, they were only going out for drinks after working together, akin to something that friendly associates would do. At least, that's what they continued to tell themselves as they arrived back in Alison's neighborhood.

As Beth pulled up to the same curb from which she picked up Alison earlier, the smaller woman gave a sigh of relief. She was happy to be back in a safe, familiar environment, but as she unbuckled her seatbelt, Alison could feel all the stresses of her life quickly returning to the front of her mind. Glancing over at Beth, she wondered what the cop was thinking, but found herself too scared to ask.

"Thanks for the lesson, Beth," Alison said, opening the passenger side door just a crack.

"No problem," Beth replied with a simple nod. "I think we should do this again, if you want to… so that you're confident with handling and using a gun. Plus, you'll have to get your own at some point, and you'll probably want to work with that one as well."

Alison looked over at Beth, regarding her for a moment too long before staring down at her hands. "Uh, acquiring my own gun shouldn't be too much of a problem. And… I would like to do this again. I could use some more practice."

"So, same time next week? Will that work for you?"

Alison nodded and stepped out of the car, carefully closing the door. Before she could begin her short walk home, Alison heard Beth roll down the passenger door window and watched as the cop leaned toward her, waving her cell phone back and forth.

"I'll call you about those drinks, don't forget."

"Okay!" Alison grinned. "I'm… I'm looking forward to it!"

Beth drove away, and Alison jogged back to her home clutching her phone, knowing that this time she wouldn't mind the wait.


End file.
